Plane change in Atlanta?

[DeadHead]

We're flying Southwest this December to Orlando, but we have no a.m. non-stops from Phl, so we're changing planes in Atlanta, is 40 minutes doable? It's just my wife and myself and just a small backpacks as carryon that will fit under the seat.

 

[Daniela Rose]

40 minutes is tight. By the time your plane lands, if it lands on time, gets yo the gate and people disembark it doesn't leave much time. Plus Atlanta is HUGE. You could be in an entirely diff terminal than your connecting flight and it's so big there's its own subway/team/monorail.

I remember sometimes just catching my flight and getting to the next flight out of breath.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Yes.
When sticking with the same airline you will onlly need to walk a few gates to your next plane.
With that same layover time in Atlanta I had plenty of time to go to the bathroom and wait at the gate for a few minutes before boarding began.

 

[jo-jo]

We are flying out of Phila and there were non stops or were they sold out? What day are you flying?

 

[Daniela Rose]

Yes.
When sticking with the same airline you will onlly need to walk a few gates to your next plane.
With that same layover time in Atlanta I had plenty of time to go to the bathroom and wait at the gate for a few minutes before boarding began.

That's not true. I always flew delta and connected to delta and I was almost never in the same terminal.

 

[jeff_h]

That's not true. I always flew delta and connected to delta and I was almost never in the same terminal.

That's probably true in ATL since 90% of the gates are Delta -- but all of the SWA gates should be in the same concourse and no problem making a 40-minute connection.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

That's not true. I always flew delta and connected to delta and I was almost never in the same terminal.

I've flown Southwest just as OP is and I have only had to walk down 2-3 gates.

 

[Daniela Rose]

That's probably true in ATL since 90% of the gates are Delta -- but all of the SWA gates should be in the same concourse and no problem making a 40-minute connection.

Yeah was thinking it was delta like that since deltas hub is Atlanta and theyre all over the airport.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

I am 'pretty sure' all of Southwest's gates are in Concourse C so you're good from a "not have to trek to the other side of the airport" perspective which would be a concern if flying Delta. But 40 mins is pretty darn razor thin and doesn't leave much room for error, even if you're only walking one gate over. Good luck!

 

[loves to dive]

No problem if your plan lands on time, even if you have to change terminals. Yes, ATL is a big airport but it really is easy to get around in. It's our home airport so we are there often. Given it's a Delta hub, if you were flying Delta you probably would change terminals but most of the other airlines all stick to the same concourse so it shouldn't be a problem.

 

[barbliny]

You can go to flight status on Southwest and look at the gates used by your flight yesterday and today. This will give you an idea of how far apart your gates might be. Southwest gates are usually in clusters in the airports. Even in Baltimore, a hub for SW where they have more gates than other airports and those gates can be in different terminals (although they are all attached through a central hub) short connections are possible. Myself and my daughters (who have to connect through BWI often on Southwest) have done Southwest connections in 40 minutes or less. The fact that it is just you and your wife is also a plus - I don't know if I would suggest it if you were traveling with young children.

Additionally, there have been times where there has been a delay on the first leg of a flight my daughter was taking and the second leg was held at BWI past departure time to allow for all of the connecting passengers that were late. It is not always the case where they hold up a flight, but they do it sometimes.

Here is a link to the Southwest website that lists the terminals/gates they use at all airports. It looks like they are all in the same concourse in Atlanta.

https://www.southwest.com/html/air/airport-information.html

 

[Gary M]

We recently flew from Indianapolis to New Orleans on Southwest changing planes in Atlanta both ways. The Southwest gates are all in the same concourse. I was concerned because we had a 40 minute layover going and a 50 minute layover returning. All of our flights were on time so we had enough time.

 

[DeadHead]

Thank you for all the replies, I really appreciate your feedback.

 

[MillauFr]

With a tight connection on Southwest though won't you get to the departure gate about the time all of the C passengers have just boarded?

 

[leebee]

Sit near the front of the plane and be ready to "jump and run" before other passengers stand up and block the aisle. Get off the plane as soon as you can and you should be fine! That really is plenty of time in ATL, on SW.

 

[Shrfleen]

I'm jumping in to thank you all. I was worried about flying Southwest into Atlanta to make it to Indy and you guys helped easy my nerves.

 

[nkereina]

With a tight connection on Southwest though won't you get to the departure gate about the time all of the C passengers have just boarded?

I agree that it's doable in Atlanta, but this would be my only concern. Southwest boarding begins 30 minutes prior to departure. By the time you make it to your gate, chances are you'll be past your boarding position and likely near the end of the boarding process. This may mean middle seats and you and your wife sitting separately. But, it's at least a short flight from Atlanta to Orlando.

 

[jdisnut]

As others have said, if you're flight is reasonably on time, you'll have no problem making your connection. The two gates will be very close by. Can something go awry? Sure, it's commercial air travel. Something can always go awry. But I wouldn't hesitate to book that itinerary if I thought it was the best option.

 

[georgina]

I agree that it's doable in Atlanta, but this would be my only concern. Southwest boarding begins 30 minutes prior to departure. By the time you make it to your gate, chances are you'll be past your boarding position and likely near the end of the boarding process. This may mean middle seats and you and your wife sitting separately. But, it's at least a short flight from Atlanta to Orlando.

I have not found that to be the case in 3 or 4 trips on SW changing in ATL with 45 mins time. Sure, boarding is supposed to start 30 minutes ahead, but you line up and wait while the preboarders get on, etc, and it usually takes at least 10 minutes more until they start the A's. We did buy Early Bird just to get on the first flight earlier so we could sit near the front and get off quicker.

40-50 minutes is a very common layover time for SW in ATL. I imagine if it wasn't working they would change it.They do seem to build extra time into the projected flight times so that we are often landing early.

 

[nkereina]

I have not found that to be the case in 3 or 4 trips on SW changing in ATL with 45 mins time. Sure, boarding is supposed to start 30 minutes ahead, but you line up and wait while the preboarders get on, etc, and it usually takes at least 10 minutes more until they start the A's. We did buy Early Bird just to get on the first flight earlier so we could sit near the front and get off quicker.

40-50 minutes is a very common layover time for SW in ATL. I imagine if it wasn't working they would change it.They do seem to build extra time into the projected flight times so that we are often landing early.

It's a common layover time and it does work fine, but that doesn't mean you won't miss your boarding spot. You've lucked out that it's not happened to you, but it has happened to me. I had something like A30 and by the time I got to the gate, they were in high B's. It's important to know for someone booking on Southwest with a shorter layover. For an airline with assigned seats, it's less of a concern. You're right that boarding may not start exactly at 30 minutes before, but if someone who has a 40 minute layover is in the back of their first plane, gets off, stops at the restroom and has to wait in line, and then makes their way over to the gate, it's very much a possibility that boarding has already started.